We'll Pick You Up
by Smoke on Mirrors
Summary: Idea from alternative27angel on Tumblr. It's the match against Rakuzan during the Winter Cup, and Kuroko endangers himself while trying to keep the ball in-bounds. Kagami saved him, but Kuroko's already reminded of the dark days of the third year in Teiko. However, although Kuroko's old team pushed him down, his new one will pick him right up.


**A/N: I should be doing my Journalism project but WHATEVS. I saw these prompts on Tumblr and alternative27angel said they were up for grabs so…I grabbed it? Anyways, here's the prompt:**

_**During the match with Rakuzan, Kuroko endangers himself while trying to keep the ball from going out of bounds. Right before he can fall into the (metal) bench, someone crashes into him and saves him from a potentially vicious injury. He looks up to see Kagami over him, panting from the effort of running over in so little time. "Idiot!" is shouted. "The game isn't so important that you try to get yourself killed!"Kuroko flashes to a similar scenario, only there was no one to catch him that time. (Teiko, third year: Kuroko makes a similar sacrifice, and his teammates ignored him in favor of scoring before turning their attention to him.) Kuroko has to fight back tears, which flusters Kagami and disturbs Akashi, whom caught the look in his eyes before Kuroko covered them with his fist.**_

**Ehhh, you didn't have to read all that but if ya wanted to know what this story was about in case you didn't get it from the story, it's cool. **

**Thanks alternative27angel, for giving me something to procrastinate on my homework on!**

*****Kuroko no Basket*****

Kuroko's every sense seemed hyperaware in the match against Rakuzan.

He could taste the saltiness of sweat on the tip of his tongue when he ran it across his lips; the smell of adrenaline and perspiration hanging in the air like a cloud. His blue eyes caught every detail, seeing the individual hairs Kagami had on his head when he zoomed past. He felt he patterned texture, every bump, on the orange basketball he held briefly before passing it to his light. The bouncing of the ball vibrated inside of his skull, and every squeak of basketball shoes echoed in his ears.

He loved it.

To him, passing the ball to everyone, working as a team, as one body, to acquire this goal of usurping Rakuzan, was like strengthening the bonds he made with everybody. Teiko never had this; the feeling of togetherness and security. At Kuroko's old middle school, winning was the only option. No teamwork; only individual skill on the same court. Everyone's dream of becoming Number One, of finally making it to the top, was riding on this match, and Kuroko would use whatever ability he had to make that dream a reality.

Which is why, in the fourth quarter, when the score was 99 to 97, in favor of Rakuzan with only 30 seconds to go with a renegade ball on the loose heading for the edge of the court, Kuroko sprinted with what little energy he had left and dived for it.

It seemed to almost go in slow motion.

Seirin's shortest player with the weakest stamina, desperately plunging for a chance for them to win, didn't seem to notice his path. Kuroko's palm slammed into the orange sphere, changing its path so that it was heading towards Hyuga Junpei, the one he knew would be the best for scoring a three pointer to finish the game off. Kuroko's body was angled horizontal to the ground, and when he twisted to break his fall, Rakuzan's metal bench for substitutes flooded his vision, the cruelly sharp edges winking in the bright stadium lights. His eyes twisted shut, waiting for the impact that gravity promised.

However, a sudden force caught Kuroko around his midsection, and he felt inertia pull him forward before he bumped into a large, muscled chest. A small noise of surprise escaped him before he decided to look up and see who saved him from a possibly deadly injury.

"You idiot!" an infuriated tone scolded. Ah, now he knew who it was.

"I knew you were stupid, but I didn't think you'd try something so reckless!" the voice of Kagami Taiga shouted out. The flamed-haired ace of Seirin's angry (and worried) face with split, furrowed eyebrows filled his vision.

"Ah, Kagami-kun," Kuroko said flatly as the taller lowered him down. "Thank you for saving me."

"Moron! The game isn't so important that you try to get yourself killed! We don't care if we don't win, but if you, our teammate and _friend,_ get hurt, what are we supposed to do?!" Kuroko's eyes widened a fraction at this.

The blunette seemed caught off guard at this, and he was suddenly reminded of a similar situation he was in only a year before.

***flashback***

_It was the Generation of Miracles' last year, and their goal (as always) was to win every game, never to lose unless one wished to face grave consequences. The match they were playing was easy, and the opposing team was like putty in their hands; falling into every trap Akashi planned, floundering under the statistical evidence of Momoi, slowly losing faith as Aomine passed their defense time and time again._

_Perhaps it was this match that started making him loath his once favorite sport._

_But really, Kuroko was probably the only one who took it seriously. He had climbed his way to the top, entering Teiko's elite first string, but he was still weak compared to the rest of the team. That's why he gave it his all, feeling like he was barely keeping up with the rest._

_The fourth quarter felt like it had been going on for hours, when it had only been nine minutes and forty five seconds. The ball bounced to the boundary line, having miraculously slipped from Kise's grip when he was distracted. Everyone else looked like they weren't going to make it, so Kuroko did what was logical in his head. He leapt for the ball, catching it while he was still in midair and chucked it at Aomine. _

_In doing so, he crashed into the opposing team's bench, slamming his head against a pointed edge and spraining his wrist where he landed wrong. He was seeing stars, and blackness kept creeping in from the edge of his vision. The other team had leapt up, almost having a heart attack as they didn't notice the boy until he crashed into them._

_A wet stickiness leisurely rolled down his face, dripping off his chin, and an aching throb assaulted his wrist. Kuroko could vaguely make out the multi colored heads of his team. _

"_A..Ao..mine..kun?" Kuroko's shaky voice whispered. He slowly rotated his head to face his team, ignoring the splitting headache that attacked his head._

_He noticed it right away. _

_**They weren't looking at him**__. _

_Akashi was marking his number, making a path for Aomine who was speeding down the court, a feral grin on his face as he swept past the opposing defense. Midorima and Murasakibara simply didn't care, and even Kise's focus was the game over his beloved mentor._

_Yes. Definitely this match was where his hate took root._

_His former light flew up, then slammed the basketball in a jarring dunk. The buzzer that sounded the end of the match pierced his skull and bounced around his head, making Kuroko wince in pain. He took a few shuddering breaths, trying to sooth the pain in his head and wrist, hearing another *drip* as red splashed onto the ground._

"_Tetsuya." A commanding voice, belonging only to Akashi._

"_Stand." Again, that voice. _

_Even attempting to rise from his position caused another throb of his head, and he fell back in defeat. "Tetsuya." A flinch. "I said, __**stand**__." Kuroko screwed his shut eyes even tighter, afraid of what might happen next._

_A hand wrapped around his abused wrist, roughly propelling him forward. A yelp of pain broke out from his lips, and he opened his eyes to Aomine, holding tightly onto his injury with no care whatsoever._

"_We have won," Akashi said nonchalantly, as if ignoring the injuries Kuroko has sustained in order to win that victory. "And it is time to go." The jacket Akashi wore around his shoulders flapped as he swiftly pivoted and walked away._

_Aomine released his wrist, and without the extra support Kuroko almost fell down again. Feebly supporting himself, Kuroko watched as his supposed friends left him behind, thus pushing him down into the descent to darkness._

***end flashback***

No one was there to support Kuroko in that time, but now, he had a team, _friends_ he could rely on, who genuinely _cared_ for him and he felt his chest fill up with an unexplainable feeling he could only describe as happiness.

Kuroko's vision blurred as he hurriedly blinked, trying to force the salty water back.

"W-What the-Kuroko! Ah man, don't cry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be mean or-ah, crap what do I do!" Kagami cried out in desperation, trying to console the smaller.

Kuroko laughed softly, small tracts of tears spilling out as he covered his sky eyes with a pale hand. Wiping them away with his sweatbands, he gave a tiny smile up to Kagami, who was flustered trying to figure out how to stop a crying person. "Yes, I promise that I'll be more careful in the future, Kagami-kun." This seemed to redden the ace's cheeks even more.

"I-I-well, ok but really, watch yourself and um, yeah, so don't cry anymore! Ahh…and don't worry. Everyone's here to pick you up if you fall."

Meanwhile, while this scene was happening, a certain red-haired captain was contemplating the look he had seen in Kuroko's eyes as he gazed up at Kagami. The tears trickling onto Kuroko's cheeks and that familiar yet vague situation that just occurred…it troubled him, to say in the least. Akashi could read those blue eyes, and what he saw there...was that…freedom? It was as if Kuroko had been trapped inside some sort of bubble, and someone has finally penetrated and released him from it.

Akashi didn't need to use his heterochromatic eyes to see the bonds Kuroko had with these Seirin people. He wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his brow and covered his mouth slightly with his fingers. "Interesting indeed, Tetsuya…it seems like you've finally found the right people to call a team."

A slight tug pulled at the red head's lips. "Let's see how this turns out,"

*****Kuroko no Basket*****

**A/N: Kay, it's done now. I feel out of practice, ugh. Tell me of any grammar mistakes or things that you noticed were off, etc., etc. **

**Hope you liked it, alternative27angel. I might do another one of those ideas you had too, so keep a look out!**

**Alright, this is SmokeonMirrors and I need to go study for my finals. Peace out.**


End file.
